Woodland is bringing some fun to its National Night Out celebration this year in hopes of getting people more involved.

The annual event, which focuses on crime prevention, is from 2 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, with gatherings of homeowners citywide.

According to Woodland Police Department volunteer Ron Liles, National Night Out is a great way for people to get to know local police.

"We all rely on the police, but we don't usually think about them until we need them," said Liles. "The closer the interaction between the police and the citizens the better off the community is."

Liles hopes people come out to interact with police officers who will be visiting homes or stopping by those "Neighborhood Watch" areas.

"They have answers," he said. "This is the perfect opportunity for citizens to ask questions."

This is the second year Liles has been involved with National Night Out.

"Last year was one of the best events Woodland has ever had," he said. "I got involved because I wanted to give back to the community. I didn't realize how much things had gone away."

Liles said aside from last year, National Night Out was much bigger before 2006.

The afternoon of Aug. 5 will begin with a kick-off party at Woodland Gateway Shopping Center from 2 to 6 p.m. According to Liles, most of the shopping center's merchants will be participating and free raffles will take place every 30 minutes.

The party will also include food and drinks as well as games for kids in the Target parking lot.

"It's fun for the whole family," he said.

Police, sheriff, CHP and fire department vehicles will also be at the shopping center.

From 6 to 10 p.m. people across the country are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the night outside with their neighbors and police.

Liles has been gathering a list of block parties scheduled city neighborhoods.

He noted he wanted the afternoon event to have a "fair-like" feel to it.

"Some other cities, such as Davis focus mostly on the nighttime activities but we wanted to get citizens involved earlier in the day," he said.

Liles said National Night Out is meant to "heighten crime awareness, generate support for local anti-crime programs and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back." Liles noted that the neighborhood watch program also sponsors the event.

He said that there are multiple neighborhood watch groups that plan their own gatherings, especially in the Beamer Park area.

"We have lost focus," he said. "This is a time when the economy is bad and petty crime is increasing. We need to pull together in this community. That is what this event is all about."

The first National Night Out was held in 1984 and included 2.5 million Americans taking part across 400 communities in 23 states.